Day 7--Rocky Mountain National Park

We spent this whole, beautiful day in Rocky Mountain National Park, driving on a scenic loop that encircles the park.  The 234 miles took us about 8 hours.  Part of the reason it took so long is that much of the driving was very twisty and curvy.  Part of the reason is that we stopped at just about every twist and turn to take pictures.  We couldn’t stop ourselves.  As it turns out, today, Sept. 30, was the perfect day to be here because the gorgeous, golden, sunshiny aspen trees are at their peak of sunny-ness.  I confess: I’ve always felt a little sorry for Colorado for having mainly just yellow aspen trees to give them color in the fall.  I take it all back.  The yellow is perfection against the deep, green evergreens.  Many of our pictures are scenes of yellow and green.  The rest of the pictures are of the incredible Rocky Mountains, of course.   At the highest elevation on that road (12,183 ft.), we were above the tree line, looking down on the snow-capped mountain tops.   Incidentally, above the tree line (at 11,500 ft), the terrain looks like a desert.  It seems to change suddenly from green trees to alpine tundra.  Around every bend and over every crest, was another wonderful view.   Today, again, was perfect weather: sunny, blue skies, temp of 57 to 72, depending on our altitude.  We feel so lucky to be here. 

See the snow on the mountain tops?

Oh, that green and yellow!

Like a river of yellow-orange in the dark green.  See the peaks in the background?

This part of the drive is in the tundra, above the tree line.

The Rockies!  Notice the tree line, above which the trees are absent from the mountain tops. 

We're on a mountain top, looking down on this pretty valley.

Day 6: From prairies to mountains

Today, drove south from Cheyenne, WY, to Boulder, CO.  In distance, this is not far:  just 93 miles; an hour and a half.  But in geography, geology, and horticulture, they are worlds apart.  We left the far-as-the-eye-can-see grasslands and prairie, and arrived in the mountains.  Practically the second we crossed into Colorado, the mountains appeared on the horizon.  So striking!  Boulder was our first stop.  This is a lively, colorful, pretty, college town.  Their main shopping area is called Pearl St. Mall, and is a four-block, pedestrians-only shopping district.  The buildings and architecture are historic; the shops are artistic and eclectic.  We had fun wandering there for awhile.  We then drove on scenic 119, through Boulder Canyon, to Nederland, a former mining town.  The drive was spectacular!  We stopped at many nicely-placed pull-outs so we could gape and take pictures.  When we weren’t stopped, I had my camera out the window, snapping pictures in every direction.  The rocky cliffs were so picturesque.  But, just as remarkable were the colors.  This is prime time for the aspen trees to change to gold.  That sunny gold mixed in with the deep green of the evergreen trees on the mountainsides was just beautiful; really outstanding.  Tomorrow: more beautiful northern Colorado scenery.  The weather today was a perfect, sunny 67 degrees, and the sky was an impossibly deep blue. 

Pearl St. Mall in Boulder, CO

Beautiful mountain pass near Boulder

Gurgling brook next to road

Boulder Dam Reservoir

Beautiful gold aspen trees

Brook, aspen trees, evergreens, mountains--so beautiful!

Day 5: Nebraska and Wyoming: Views from a wagon train

We began our drive today going from Ogallala to Scottsbluff, NE.  Two notable landmarks in Nebraska today were Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff.  The pioneers riding along in their wagon trains on their way out west, always wrote about these two geological formations.  Rising from the grasslands of Nebraska, these rocky outcroppings were remarkable to the travelers then—and they still are.  We took lots of pictures, but couldn’t get close because of the signs warning us of rattlesnakes.  Ok, then.  We crossed into Wyoming, and the amazing, endless ranches and fields and prairies continued as far as we could see in all directions.  By the way, to get water to the cattle, there are frequent windmills, which operate a pump, bringing continuous water to the animals.  The windmills just added another interesting element to the landscape.  We decided to stay in Cheyenne tonight.  It’s in the most SE corner of Wyoming, and is the capitol.  It’s a pretty city.  We spent a couple of hours in the Wyoming State Museum, looking at nice and interesting displays about this state’s history:  cowboys, Indians, the Pony Express.   This was another beautiful day, with blue sky and sunshine, and about 85 degrees. 

Chimney Rock in Nebraska

John at Scotts Bluff in Nebraska

We've seen many, many windmills.

Typical view in NE and WY

Wyoming state capitol in Cheyenne

Day 4: Nebraska: fields, sky, lakes, trains, and cowboys

Today, we drove six hours across most of Nebraska, from Omaha to Ogallala.  I took many pictures of the pretty scenery: vast, endless fields under a vast, endless blue sky.  The fields were mostly corn and wheat; many of them were unplanted, and used for cattle grazing.  Sometimes, as we drove along, there was not a single car in front of or behind us.  For many miles, our road ran alongside a train track.  We saw fourteen trains, and each of them was one to two miles long, with hundreds of train cars loaded with coal.  We have no idea where all that coal came from or where it was going.  We’re in Ogallala because that is the starting point for a scenic drive that was recommended in several resources.  I’ve learned some things about Ogallala.  On the one hand, it is home to the beautiful and immense Lake McConnaughy—22 miles long, 4 miles wide, 142 feet deep.  To see that enormous blue lake in the middle of all of this farm and prairie land is a great surprise.   The lake was formed by damming the N. Platte River, way back in 1936.  The management of that water provides electricity, recreation, and flood control.  We were stunned to see the dam shooting out an indescribable amount of water today, from Lake McConnaughy to the little lake next to it.  But, on the other hand, the small, tired, unattractive town of Ogallala has quite a history.  In the late 1800’s, it was a violent cow town known as the Gomorrah of the Plains.  Fights were frequent and unprovoked and often fatal, and many of the unfortunate cowboys are buried in Boot Hill Cemetery.  I mention that history to explain the vibe I get from this town.  The vibe is this: I want to be somewhere else.  I don’t like it here very much.   I’ll be happy to leave in the morning and begin our next scenic drive. 

Day 3: The Omaha Zoo

Mon., 9/26—The main reason we’re in Omaha (besides the fact that it’s on the way to our “Out West” destinations) is to go to the zoo.  We had heard that the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo is big and wonderful, so, although we don’t go to zoos very often, we wanted to check it out.  Several of the exhibits are known as being the largest of their kind in the world: nocturnal exhibit, indoor swamp, geodesic desert dome, and indoor rainforest.  The exhibits are not only big, they’re beautiful and really well done.   The gorillas were very active.  In fact, at different times and in different rooms, a couple of them were kind of scary.  They’d actually stand up and beat their chests and bare their teeth.  They’d run up to a display window and bang on it with their huge hands.  You should have seen the size of the hand prints on that window!   One gorilla slammed his shoulder into a stainless steel door.  I don’t know if they were showing how tough they are, or if they’re just really angry about living there.  I liked the sea turtles—such cute faces.  I also enjoyed the rain forest, where we walked at treetop level, and then at ground level.   Joe: I saw the world’s biggest millipedes; they gave me shivers.  So did all the crocodiles, with their big, beady eyes.  It was a great zoo day. 

I love this turtle.

This blue bird followed me around!

This pic was taken from a sky ride.

Day 2, Des Moines to Omaha

Sun., 9/25—We were out early on this quiet, Sunday morning, exploring Des Moines.  It’s a pretty city, with some beautiful buildings, especially the capitol building and the grounds around it.  The dome on the top is covered with gold leaf—impressive and beautiful.      I don’t know how the early residents got their money, but some of the old homes are beautiful and huge.  Our only goal today was to drive west across Iowa, from Des Moines to Omaha, Nebraska.  We decided to follow a scenic byway instead of staying on the interstate.  The scenery was great—as yesterday, mile after mile of corn and beans and corn and beans; farm after farm after farm.  We were surprised to see that Iowa is continuously hilly, more gently rolling than the pretty hills of Tennessee.  In fact, the farm fields were almost all tiered, to allow for more efficient planting and harvesting, I suppose.   We drove for two hours and did not see even one restaurant to stop in for breakfast.  We did go through towns, but they had no cafes or diners or food shops of any kind.  Oh! One interesting thing: we went through the small town of Stuart.  The entire town was toilet papered!  Every tree!  That was quite a site to see.  Alas, I took no pictures of it, for some reason.  Early afternoon, we arrived in Omaha, Nebraska, where we’ll be staying for two days.  After some Sunday football time, we went out for dinner to Zio’s Pizza (“Voted best pizza in Omaha 28 years in a row!”)  in the Old Market section of the city.  It was a great area.  I’d describe it as a mix of Boston and Ann Arbor.  Lots of people were wandering around or eating at the many small restaurants.  There were street musicians, a horse and buggy, brick streets, interesting shops.  And, the pizza was great! 

 

 

We begin...

For the next 3-1/2 weeks, John and I are on a road trip that will cover 12 states and many miles.  We’ll be driving through parts of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky.   Because we’re both retired now (!), time isn’t much of an issue for us.  We thought we would be able to wander along our intended route, stopping whenever we wanted to.  But, of course, that’s not how we roll.  As it turns out, I’ve made arrangements for hotels for nearly every night, and we have lots of scenic drives highlighted on the maps.  The suggestions for the scenic drives came from several sources: a Reader’s Digest book about the most scenic drives in the country; a motorcycle magazine, “Rider,” that has great routes for bike trips; and, the experiences of friends. 

Sat., 9/24—We left home this morning in our truck, easily making our way SW through Michigan.  The first interesting thing to note was, unexpectedly, in a rest stop in Indiana.  In the women’s room, on the shelf above the sink, someone had put a small vase of flowers.  Someone else had left a small, red teddy bear.  Because of those two sweet things, a woman had written a brief thank you note for the smile these things gave her.  Other women left notes, saying where they were on their way to or from, and expressing appreciation for these small “gifts.”  One note said the woman’s family was in the middle of moving back to Michigan from Iowa.  Another note said she was driving to the airport, to fly to San Francisco for a vacation.  There were probably 20 notes on that counter, all written on random pieces of scrap paper.  I was quite amazed.  On we went, through that tiny corner of Indiana, across Illinois, and into Iowa.   And that’s where the second interesting thing happened.  Just across the Mississippi River, where Iowa begins, is the small town of LeClaire.  We watch a History Channel show called American Pickers, in which two guys drive around the country, picking through old barns and junky yards, looking for rusty treasures that they can buy and then resell.  Their home and their shop are in LeClaire.  I decided I wanted to go to that shop.  Thank goodness for the GPS, that easily directed us to this very small shop that sits in an alley.  There were several tourists like us moseying around the place.  The “stars” of the show weren’t there—no surprise.  However, the young woman at the counter resembled Danielle (from the show).  That is, she was heavily tattooed and whimsically dressed.  We recognized several items in the shop from the TV segments we’ve seen.  We took some pictures, and then were on our way across Iowa.  The countryside was really pretty and looked just as I had expected it to: mile after mile of corn and bean fields in various stages of harvest.  The third interesting thing we experienced was in Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.  Joe gave John a book about the best hamburger restaurants in the country.  One of them is in Iowa City, and is called The Hamburg Inn No. 2.  Since 1949, it’s been a popular spot for the students, and also for politicians.  It’s cozy and charming, and we both enjoyed a delicious hamburg.  Plus, we got to see Iowa City, which is a pretty college town.  After driving about 550 miles today, we’re ready to relax in Des Moines tonight.